“Abolish Sharia or Face Sanctions” – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Warns Nigerian Government
A United States senator has issued a direct warning to the Nigerian government. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, is calling for serious measures unless Nigeria changes how it handles religious violence. His message is simple. Abolish Sharia law or face sanctions from the United States.
Cruz made these remarks during a Senate hearing. And he did not hold back on the numbers.
Speaking before the Senate, Cruz said that more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. He put a number on it. According to him, Islamic jihadists have murdered more than 50,000 Christians since 2009. That is an average of over 3,000 people every year for the past fifteen years.
But the killings are not all. Cruz also claimed that over 20,000 churches, schools, and religious buildings have been destroyed. Many of them, he said, were burned completely to the ground.
The senator then went a step further. He alleged that Nigerian officials have been complicit in this violence. He accused both state and federal authorities of failing to act when they should. According to Cruz, about a dozen states in Nigeria enforce blasphemy and Sharia laws. And while that happens, the federal government simply looks the other way as attacks continue.
He also brought up recent kidnappings that took place during the Holy Week period. He described those incidents as part of a larger pattern of targeted violence against Christians.
Cruz pointed to a bill he has put forward called the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act. This legislation has two main goals. First, it seeks to return Nigeria to the US Country of Particular Concern list. Second, it aims to impose sanctions on officials who are allegedly linked to enforcing religious laws or ignoring extremist violence.
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He added that US authorities already know who those officials are. And he insisted that they should be held accountable.
Cruz also revealed that Nigerian officials have previously rejected his claims. He said senior lawmakers and aides close to the presidency have denied any role in facilitating such attacks. They do not agree with his version of events.
Last year, Cruz met with top Nigerian defense and security officials. He said they promised to curb the violence. But he noted that those results have yet to materialize. Promises were made. But on the ground, things have not changed.
The senator referenced actions taken under former President Donald Trump. During that time, Nigeria was designated as a Country of Particular Concern. The US also carried out military action targeting ISIS-linked militants after attacks on Christians.
Given that history, Cruz criticized what he called contradictory responses from Nigerian authorities. He described their stance as somewhere between hypocritical and infuriating.
He closed his remarks by questioning the current situation and asking what further steps the United States should take to halt the ongoing violence.
The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official response to Cruz’s latest comments. But given the weight of the accusations, a reply is likely coming.
For now, the warning is on the table. Abolish Sharia or face sanctions. Whether Washington moves forward with those sanctions will depend on how much support Cruz can gather for his proposed legislation. Either way, the conversation between the two countries just got a lot more tense.
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